So one of my players is using a drone in our space opera (modeled after Claire Redfield's ME2 drone). However, we're having some issues with how summons work.

The book says it takes a move action to command a summon but they normally follow commands until the task is completed. But, as a drone without an AI, it has the controlled extra, does that mean he has to use his move action every turn to command it, and if so, how does that make it a +1 extra? Or does it just mean they do exactly as one commands?

Lastly, would it be easier to give it an intelligence or say 1 to represent a VI so it follows commands and doesn't need actual input constantly?

We're looking to efficiently make a drone that he can give commands to as needed but can do things such as "Attack all units that do not have our FF tags." or "Attack everything that enters this room". I'm not sure if basic commands like that should require any intelligence.

Last edited by Myrmidon369 on Thu Apr 17, 2014 10:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Myrmidon369 wrote:it has the controlled extra, does that mean he has to use his move action every turn to command it, and if so, how does that make it a +1 extra? Or does it just mean they do exactly as one commands?

From the book:

Deluxe Handbook p181 wrote:Directing a minion to do something is a move action for you, but minions generally do as they are told until a task is completed.

My interpretation is that they would follow the last command until completed, or until they get a new command, so the commander doesn't have to stand around and micromanage unless that's his Complication.

As for INT score, my take is they would only need INT for adaptability. If you gave the command to "Attack everything that enters this room", the drone would do that, but may not attack anything that stayed just outside the doorway. Or if a subject in the room suddenly vanished, it wouldn't check to see if they had turned invisible or something, or even bother searching. Those are the kind of things I might require an INT check for, and if the drone has no INT or a very low INT it's going to fail clever things like that regularly, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

The more important thing is probably to make sure your drone has AWE, or at least Perception Skill, so that it can sense things. Low AWE may make it easy for subjects to sneak past it, or fool it into accepting fake FF tags, or other issues (which again can be intentional limits in design and potentially kind of fun).

Sorry, I can't hear your argument for realism over the sound of my eye beams.

Myrmidon369 wrote:it has the controlled extra, does that mean he has to use his move action every turn to command it, and if so, how does that make it a +1 extra? Or does it just mean they do exactly as one commands?

From the book:

Deluxe Handbook p181 wrote:Directing a minion to do something is a move action for you, but minions generally do as they are told until a task is completed.

My interpretation is that they would follow the last command until completed, or until they get a new command, so the commander doesn't have to stand around and micromanage unless that's his Complication.

As for INT score, my take is they would only need INT for adaptability. If you gave the command to "Attack everything that enters this room", the drone would do that, but may not attack anything that stayed just outside the doorway. Or if a subject in the room suddenly vanished, it wouldn't check to see if they had turned invisible or something, or even bother searching. Those are the kind of things I might require an INT check for, and if the drone has no INT or a very low INT it's going to fail clever things like that regularly, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

The more important thing is probably to make sure your drone has AWE, or at least Perception Skill, so that it can sense things. Low AWE may make it easy for subjects to sneak past it, or fool it into accepting fake FF tags, or other issues (which again can be intentional limits in design and potentially kind of fun).

Thanks for the input, it just didn't feel satisfying the other way. Thanks everyone for the clarification.

On the INT and AWE comment earlier, if the player (or you) haven't been with M&M (especially 3E) very long remember that -5 in M&M3E is 0 in most other systems and 0 would be a 10 in most other d20 systems. You don't have to buy INT or AWE 1 to be self aware, just be above -5. If you are trying to model the fairly unintelligent drone you may want to sell off some of the INT and AWE to negatives to free up points for other things, but only if you are intentionally making it a "dumb" machine that just follows orders.